@MHood376-A, 

This is great! I'd love if you could expand on point 1.

I've done a ton of free creative work for folks in the past in hopes of bolstering my reputation. One day, my mentor (who is a paid writer and artist) sat me down and told me bluntly that the fact that I was doing work for free meant I wasn't valuing what I was truly worth. People picked up on that which was why he believed everyone asked me to do work as "a favor" or for a reference, but never pay. 

As newbie in the industry, it can feel scary to ask/demand what you think you're worth, and it's very hard to say no to those early opportunities when you're hungry (literally and figuratively). My second web design gig came from a referral. The client wanted to pay me half of what I asked, even though what I asked was far below industry standard. Suffice it to say, it was a very awkward call. 

Do you have any good stories for context? Any tips for how to approach those conversations?